A/N: Sorry this took too long! But anyways, here's the next and last chapter! R+R please:)

The Simplest Things

Chapter 2

The gentle breeze played with his silver hair as Yzak took another glance at the sleeping form of Shiho beside him. It took him a while to realize that she had disappeared after their bickering. And when he finally saw a glimpse of her brunette head out the balcony, followed by the lecherous officer Kenji, he knew something wrong was bound to happen.

Yzak had no idea what took over him. But when he saw Kenji attempting to take advantage of the girl, he felt his blood boil. He definitely took care of the about to be ex-officer. And right now, his damn conscience was killing him for leaving her behind.

He raked his hand through his windblown hair just as he entered the Hahnenfuss estate. Shiho's parents were away, so the manor was probably empty save the maids and butler. Yzak glanced at Shiho again and sighed. He would probably have a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up.

Shiho stirred slightly as consciousness slowly came to her. When she finally opened her eyes, she caught sight of a very familiar ceiling. It was like the ceiling of her room. She tried to sit up as she gathered her thoughts and at the same time study her surroundings. It was her room alright. There were still the large glass doors leading to the balcony, and her possessions were in the right places.

"You're finally awake." A deep baritone voice spoke up from the other side of the room. She stiffened. That commanding voice definitely sounded familiar. What's he doing here?

Yzak laid the tray on the bedside table and sat down on the chair positioned beside it. Realization finally struck her. Shiho remembered everything that transpired in the party, but vaguely what had happened in the gardens. She felt terrible. Biting her lip, Shiho looked the other way and shut her eyes.

"Did something... happen...?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she directed the question to her commanding officer.

She didn't see Yzak immediately frown at this.

"No. Kenji wasn't able to do what he planned to." His voice was firm. "That ex-officer has already been taken care of."

At this, Shiho leaned down and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I...see..."

Yzak glanced at her solemn face and his frown deepened.

"Dearka has already been made aware of everything that happened. After you lost consciousness, I brought you to your home immediately."

"Were you the one there to save--"

"Of course. Who else did you think it was!"

Shiho blinked.

"Th—Thank You."

At this, Yzak opened his mouth to give her a lecture about self-control, but decided against it. He took a deep breath instead. He knew she felt awful, and that it was partly his fault. And although he knew he had to apologize, his pride prevented him from doing so.

"I..." Yzak looked away, and before he could stop himself, the words spilled out. "I witnessed something when I was younger."

This certainly caught her attention. Yzak mentally slapped himself. There was no stopping now.

"I sneaked away from Nicol's birthday party once, and when I was walking past an alleyway, I heard some screaming." He swallowed nervously. He usually never opened up like this. "And of course, being curious, I walked closer to see what was happening... There was this girl... and three guys... and... it was horrible. You probably know what I saw...I guess that I... probably got traumatized by that experience."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry you had too see that." Shiho looked at him worriedly.

A short period of silence followed afterwards before somebody spoke up again.

"At that time... In the gardens, I really didn't know what to do. It was like my mind turned blank. And I couldn't move. I thought that... there was no escaping what was about to happen." Shiho laughed bitterly. "I guess girls do have weaknesses, no matter how much training they do...even in the military."

"Hahnenfuss..."

She could remember Kenji's breath on her skin; the words he whispered to her ears; and the arms that encircled around her. She shut her eyes tight and touched her forehead to her arms. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She wasn't the type to.

"I feel so...so disgusted. I can still feel...it...him." She whispered in helpless torture.

Yzak's conscience started nagging him again. He swallowed nervously. He hated circumstances like these, when he was at loss on what he's supposed to do. Finally coming to a decision, he took the glass of water with a sleeping drug and sat down beside her on the bed. He placed his hand on her shoulder and offered the glass to her while he looked the other direction.

"You should sleep. It has been a long and tiring day."

"You're right…" She replied, taking the glass and gulping it down. "Thanks a lot, for being there in time, and for bringing me here. I probably wasted a lot of your time...And please apologize to Dearka for me."

Yzak stood up, took his coat and walked to the door.

"Wait! Let me at least show you out—ouch!"

When Shiho had tried to stand up, her bruised and probably twisted ankle sent a wave of pain to her whole leg, sending her falling down. Yzak was there in an instant. He pulled her hand first in an attempt to pull her up, but another sharp pain from her wounded arm (probably from her fall in the garden) caused her to yelp. He encircled her waist instead and pulled her up. Shiho's eyes widened. The feeling of her in his arms felt terrible familiar.

Almost in an instant, he felt Yzak slip his other hand behind her legs as he carried her back to the bed. He laid her down gently and looked at her sternly.

"You had wounds?" His gaze was hard.

"It's probably from my fall; I'll just ask one of the maids to treat it later. You should leave; Dearka must be looking for you by now. Thanks again, Yzak-taicho." Shiho yawned and smiled at him.

Yzak just stared at her before turning around and walking towards the door.

I'm so sorry...

Shiho's eyes widened. Did she just hear something? She looked up again as Yzak stopped at the door. He looked back for the last time.

"Good Night, Shiho."

Shiho smiled at him weakly and slowly laid down the bed as she heard the door close. She was still not sure whether she heard right or her sleepiness was merely making her hear things. Pulling the comforter around herself, Shiho remembered how warm and comfortable she felt in his arms. And she finally realized why it felt so familiar, just before she lost consciousness in the Elsman estate garden; she was enveloped in strong arms. It was as if they felt protective of her. It was probably Yzak. Shiho closed her eyes as she felt herself drifting off to dreamland. He was really one unpredictable guy.

After a few more minutes, the door to Shiho's room opened once again. There stood Yzak, his face unreadable. He walked towards the bed and looked at the sleeping figure of Shiho. His chest tightened. He sat down the chair silently and determinedly started to work.

Yzak took a deep breath and wiped his brow. It was finally finished. Standing up slowly, he watched as she breathed in and out. She looked like a child. He thought. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Yzak leaned down and pressed his lips gently on her forehead. With this, he took his coat and left the room, closing the door with a gentle thud.

Shiho started waking up when she felt gentle nudging on her shoulder. Rubbing her eyes to adjust her vision, she sat up slowly.

"Shiho-sama! You're finally awake! Ooooh...we were SO worried last night!" Jana, the head nurse, said worriedly.

"Oh, it's ok. I'm quite fine, thank you. Just feeling a little---" She broke off. Her right arm was bandaged.

Pulling the comforter off her, she lifted her dress and found that her leg was also bandaged. When she glanced at the bedside table, on it was spare bandage and balms. She gave the maid a curious look.

"Did anyone enter my room last night, Jana?"

"Oh, not a soul! Yzak-sama told everyone not to disturb your sleep, so no one, not even me, tried even to climb up here. But we were so worried! You have just arrived, and we really missed Shiho-sama! Speaking of which! I forgot to bring your breakfast tray!" Jana cheerfully left the room.

Meanwhile, Shiho took her bandaged arm with her left hand and ran her fingers over it. She watched the sunlight that filled her room through the large glass windows as random thoughts entered her mind. All those thoughts revolved around a certain someone, and she had been having a very nice dream about the person too. Smiling gently, she touched her bandaged arm to her cheek.

...Apology Accepted.

End

A/N: Whew! Finally finished. I hope everyone loves it! I'm planning on making a continuation or a sequel, but that still depends on the reviews I receive. Read and Review please! Take care!

--MaI